Lairds

[thekid]

Does anyone know of a book dedicated or related to the lairds of shetland?

was needin a bit of info.

 

Heard a story that in those days when any couple were getting married then on the wedding night the laird had his wicked way first.

 

This surely cant be true?

[Guest Anonymous]

modern term for it is rape and the lairds were quite happy wi that yes , extremely oppressive reigime thenadays yes , extremely

[Ghostrider]

The book 'Grant's County Families' lists them up until the end of the 19th Century. There are scans of the pages here:

 

http://shetlopedia.com/Category:Grant%27s_County_Families

 

As for their shenanigans, I seem to think I've read somewhere that taking his pick of the local women was part of the complaints against the the old boy that built Muness, so the rest of his kind probably were at it too. Some of them were certainly still trying to as late as the mid 19th Century, that much I have reasonable proof of.

[Guest Anonymous]

local history groups will have some handed down experiences but the most juicy of it will never have been written down

[Heimdal]

Google the term 'droit de seigneur' .

Certainly some of the earlier Bruce lairds had a fair few illegitimate offspring.

I have been told that one of the later Whalsay lairds was completely of the opposite view, to the extent that if any of his tenants were 'carrying on', both parties were forced to leave the isle.

Anyone from Whalsay heard that too ?

[Ghostrider]

^^ I wouldn't know what he was like in his home isle, but when he was in his "summer residence" the one that had 16 legitimate bairns did not have a good name.

[Guest Anonymous]

there wont be anything like that in print tho , the tyranny was such

[lerwick]

Just wait for the budget. See what laird tavish is going to do to us all, same world just a different time.